26 May 2015

Animals and Touchscreens Addendum

Last Friday’s review of tortoise research with a touchscreen computer (Tortoise Smarts) had me wondering about the use and scope of touchscreens in animal studies.

The finger-driven touchscreen was invented in 1965, became common by the 1990s and flourished in the 2000s. Though touchscreen studies with reptiles might be new, those with other animals seem to have tracked that progression and not only in a lab. Along with being used as tools for research, touchscreens are providing animal enrichment. Today’s addendum features notable examples.